Chinese Rule Out Hepatitis B Vaccine in Deaths of 9 Infants

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A hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine has been officially cleared by Chinese health authorities as the cause for nine infant deaths in late 2013, UPI reports. The country’s Food and Drug Administration uncovered no issues in the production of the vaccine. However, China’s three largest manufacturers of the hep B vaccine have now suspended production after failing to meet year-end certification standards at inspections. That leaves only two manufacturers in operation to produce the HBV vaccine and an 80 percent decrease in overall production. Investigators from China’s control bureau are now looking into eight more deaths. All 17 infant fatalities occurred from December 13 to 31. The causes or links between them remain unknown.